Green response to COVID-19. Kulturdiplomatie2020

ArtImpact: COVID-19

My Green response to COVID-19:
vulnerable and interconnected 2020

Reflecting on challenges and global acts ever explored due to the current pandemic disaster: COVID-19
By no exception, no privilege for immunity, each individual on this planet is targeted
as a potential victim.
Once the desired opportunity, #stayathome# has become a rule.
To prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 We are all asked to take responsibility and to act in accordance with local and global measures in an appropriate way.
With NO exceptions and NO tolerance for breaking the rules.
Self-isolation and social distance for those who are in the position to stay safe home should not be a problem?!

As a long-term practitioner within fields of art, education, and cultural diplomacy, I am familiar with “ArtExile”, a type of self-isolation while creating my performance lectures, dance compositions, intercultural educational sessions for children and adults, and presentations for international conferences.
A  wide spectrum of diverse people and opportunities. All about relations and attentive way of communication.
Currently, such an opportunity with my “ArtExile” is crafted with fear, uncertainty, emotional oscillations, moving from “high hopes creativity” to anger, anxiety, mindful self-motivated actions by space-limited-dance-training, reading sessions and writings …

Following the social media posts of my colleagues from the fields of art across the world, I can see the same challenges shared by individuals and communities: images of childhood memories, nature, best advice about how to strength immunity and deal with isolation, and a number of free dance classes, cultural promotion, free online lessons, etc.
I have shared some posts in the same manner: blooming plum trees captured with my cell phone, home training, mindful thoughts about life, and hope …
It seems that We all are resilient and strong enough to sustain all challenges?!
Rather no posts, if the day is not perfectly under control …
No reason to spread “bad news”, pessimism, show weakness, make attention as vulnerable and not perfectly in the trend of superheroes, fit and well …

What if?!

I remember my teachers from professional dance training at the Martha Graham Contemporary Dance school in NYC speaking about “terrible beauty” and vulnerability as a powerful expression of our humanity. M. Graham´´'s modern dance repertory is a composition of about 181 works in which the power of the vulnerable has been expressed with a challenging movement series for the human body such as “fall in one count” and “pleadings” among other Graham’s virtuous creations.
Learning to fall and to raise as a form of artistic expression of human virtuosity enables students to reflect on their ability to meet challenges, to learn to sustain the “uncomfortable” position and to “shift the weights” for better placement as “a manner of movement” across space and time.

Nowadays, we all learn to be strong, powerful, resilient, cool …
But ignoring the fear, anxiety, emotional limits, and our human vulnerability, we might fail by facing the danger.
Artists know to allow themselves to show weaknesses, to fail, to suffer, to raise.
What we all might currently explore is to learn to allow ourselves our human vulnerability as the ability to face the danger and to act responsibly as a part of a larger community.
Artists, diplomats, as well as all other individuals, are suddenly sharing more or less the same
challenge: social distancing and isolation, no immunity against COVID-19.

How can Cultural Diplomacy as a practice of civil society support governments, humanitarians, and those who are acting outside on the life stage, helping others, and putting their lives at risk in this challenging time?

Artistic expression is one of the most powerful tools in the practice of Cultural Diplomacy, that can support trust-building among people across countries.
It is time nowadays to recognize the necessity and opportunity in this field by all its actors, who are ranging from civilians to governmental representatives to shift the weight from the promotion of traditions, brands and trends toward safety as a common value and to unify in their mission by building bridges among donators and humanitarians, among victims and helpers, and to provide information about responsible acting through all channels, starting from people- to- people diplomacy via social media, public news and other forms and channels of communication.

Art practices can support health and serve as a form of communication in a universally understandable language. Whether as a practice of self-reflection on life issues that can help us to find the form for expression or as a space in which "the vulnerable" can be shown in a powerful way and beyond ...
The scientific evidence base for Arts and Health interventions has been reported by the World Health Organisation WHO in 2019, within the first and most comprehensive report.

Above all, Art as a unique and at the same time universal language in service of Cultural Diplomacy can create a common frame of values such as those, within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG´s) known as a Global Goals which encompasses all sectors, communities, and individuals, as proklaimed by the United Nations in the Agenda2030.

C-19- responses across sectors are calling for action to end the current disaster, to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Connect&Act, support those who need your help, protect yourself, and act responsibly toward your next and planet! 
 
Some Governments, such as in Austria, in the United States, in the UK, in Germany, among other countries, have secured funding opportunities to support existentially threatened groups due to the COVID-19 crisis. Professionals and practitioners in the fields of arts and culture belong in a large number to such existentially threatened groups, which have started the call for action to make changes and establish better employment opportunities not only during the COVID-19 crisis but also for the better future.  

Not to be forgotten is the fact that according to the UNHCR 70,8 millions of forcibly displaced people worldwide and more than 820.milions of people suffering from hunger worldwide are not in the position to keep distance ad “stayathome”.
2.167.000 people died from hunger this year according to worldcount, 30.322 people died from Coronavirus worldwide.

All is interconnected. By exploring our vulnerability at the global level, We may learn to act more
responsibly and more attentive.
All citizens and residents need to be protected, starting with access to actual information related to the pandemic spread and measures taken by the local government.
Austrian Fond for Integration (ÖIF) has published all information in german and in 15 more languages to reach all communities. Migrants, minorities, residents, all people together must be appropriately informed.
Language translations are bridges to people. Commitment starts by understanding, inclusion into media information supports trust-building, allows engagement, and raises awareness about the necessity for socially responsible action, by each individual. Only together, we will be able to sustain this challenging time.  
I have created a multilingual landscape with appeal #stayathome to finalize my reflection on COVID-19 with some translations (done by Google)  on interconnected world affected by the disease as hemispheric lateralization, a global interplay, by use of the mathematical term “interpolation”.

#stayathome #covid-19 #sayitinmanylanguages #makeitinallhomes #supportyournext #artimpact
@marthagraham @sdg @interpolation @stayathome @culturaldiplomacy2020

Tatjana Christelbauer, March 28th 2020